Bomb blast kills 2 civilians in northeast Nigeria: Official

People watch as smoke rises from the police headquarters in Nigeria’s northern city of Kano after a bomb attack. (File photo)

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A bomb blast targeting a military patrol vehicle in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri has killed two civilians, an army official says.
"An improvised explosive device targeting (a military) patrol team exploded at (the) post office roundabout in Maiduguri," AFP quoted Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa as saying in a statement on Wednesday.
Musa added that the military suffered no casualties but the attacker was killed in the blast. He did not say who might have carried out the attack.
Maiduguri is considered the home base of extremist group Boko Haram, which has killed scores of security personnel in bomb and shooting attacks since 2010, when it resumed its deadly insurgency after a 2009 uprising was crushed by the military.
On Tuesday, the military distributed hundreds of leaflets around the northeastern city overnight, warning residents that Boko Haram had not declared a ceasefire, according to some reports.
On January 28, a man claiming to be a spokesperson for Boko Haram said that the group would agree to lay down its weapons if all its imprisoned members are released.
The declaration was widely covered in the local media.
Human rights groups report that violent actions by the group since mid-2009 have claimed more than 1,000 lives, including over 300 in 2012.
MN/AS